Make Your Point > Archived Issues > DILATORY
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connect today's word to others:
You can break our word dilatory into its Latin roots to see that they literally mean "widening something apart" or "extending something apart." (The di part means "apart," and the lat part means "wide, broad, or extended.")
That means dilatory is related to our word latitude. Sometimes latitude is a literal width or breadth, like lines of latitude on map. But what does it mean when you allow people latitude, or when you have the latitude to do something?
make your point with...
"DILATORY"
To dilate something can mean to widen it (as in "dilated pupils"), or to stretch it out in time: to lengthen it so that it takes a longer time.
And someone or something that dilates things is dilatory. In other words, "dilatory" means delaying things, making them take too long, either on purpose (often to gain time before doing something), or just out of laziness or slowness.
Pronunciation:
DILL uh tore ee.
(Remember to use a short "i" in the first syllable: rhyme it with "bill," "fill," and "hill,"
even though there's a long "i" in the word "dilate.")
Part of speech:
Adjective.
(Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late."
They can be used in two ways:
1. Right before a noun, as in "a dilatory thing" or "a dilatory person."
2. After a linking verb, as in "It was dilatory" or "He was dilatory.")
Other forms:
dilatoriness, dilatorily
How to use it:
This word has a negative tone: dilatory people and things annoy us by wasting our time, failing to act, being lazy, procrastinating, and/or making things take longer than they should.
Talk about dilatory people and personalities, dilatory habits, dilatory tactics and strategies, dilatory movements and procedures, a dilatory speed or pace, and dilatory actions and responses (such as dilatory payments, dilatory apologies, or a dilatory show of enthusiasm).
If you talk generally about "the dilatory," you mean the people who cause delays.
And you can say that someone is dilatory in doing something: "She was dilatory in submitting her paperwork."
examples:
He returned to the service counter with a dilatory saunter, hoping, maybe, that we would get impatient and go away.
Our country's visa system is notoriously dilatory, with wait times ranging from months to years.
study it now:
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "dilatory" means when you can explain it without saying "lax" or "procrastinating."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "Desperate for more time to _____, (someone) tried a dilatory tactic: _____."
Example: "Desperate for more time to review for the quiz, the kids tried a dilatory tactic: asking their teacher why she decided to become one."
before you review:
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
"Bits & Pieces." This month, we're playing with affixes and combining forms, the bits and pieces of our language, matching them to their meanings. The more of these bits and pieces you know, the better you are at decoding unfamiliar words, which is sooo satisfying! I'll share the answers in each subsequent issue.
Here are the answers from our previous issue:
1. "hagio-/hagi-" means holy or saintly.
2. "theo-" means god(s).
3. "thaumato-" means wonder, marvel, or miracle.
4. "-latry" means worship.
5. "onto-" means being or existence.
Try this set today. It's all about medicine:
1. "iatro-" means _____.
2. "narco-" means _____.
3. "-agogue" means _____.
4. "noso-" means _____.
5. "sangui-" means _____.
Answer bank:
A. leading
B. blood
C. physician
D. drug for relaxation
E. disease
review today's word:
1. A close opposite of DILATORY is
A. DILIGENT.
B. NARROW.
C. EXCEPTIONAL.
2. Only a weak leader could be so dilatory in _____.
A. favoring these feeble military strategies
B. condemning these hate crimes
C. ignoring rampant corruption
Answers are below.
a final word:
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From Liesl's blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Answers to review questions:
1. A
2. B
You can break our word dilatory into its Latin roots to see that they literally mean "widening something apart" or "extending something apart." (The di part means "apart," and the lat part means "wide, broad, or extended.")
"DILATORY" To dilate something can mean to widen it (as in "dilated pupils"), or to stretch it out in time: to lengthen it so that it takes a longer time. Other forms:
He returned to the service counter with a dilatory saunter, hoping, maybe, that we would get impatient and go away.
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "dilatory" means when you can explain it without saying "lax" or "procrastinating."
Fill in the blanks: "Desperate for more time to _____, (someone) tried a dilatory tactic: _____."
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
1. A close opposite of DILATORY is
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |